Friday, December 2, 2011

Well, I've been meaning to give it a facelift for a while now and was really excited to hear about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint {partly because the results are always so pretty, and because you don't need to sand or prime first - I'm lazy}.

Well, my excitement fizzled when I discovered that no one in Dubai carries it and no one will ship it to me here either. :(

Plan B: homemade chalk paint

I stumbled upon a couple of suggestions on how to make your own so I thought I'd give it a try.

I had some pretty Duck Egg paint from Laura Ashley and decided to use that {eggshell finish} 1/2 cup and mixed it with 1 tbsp of Plaster of Paris.

The best part is chalk paint requires no prep ~ just start painting.

I chose to do 2 coats. The paint dries fairly quickly.

Once the second coat had dried for a couple of hours, I distressed the edges a bit with some coarse sandpaper.

I wiped it clean to remove all sanding dust and then it was time to wax.

I chose Lundmark Clear Paste Wax. Why? Because that's all I could find in Dubai. I was hoping it would be as lovely and soft to work with as Annie Sloan's Wax is supposed to be.

This wax was awesome! I applied it with an old cotton sport sock on my hand and it went on smoothly in a nice thin coat. After about 10 minutes of drying time, I buffed it with a clean sock.

Some new knobs to add some sparkle.

All done! Can you see the lovely sheen the wax gave it?

You can add a coat of a brown wax over top if you want to add a bit more age. Since I couldn't find anything other than my clear wax, I left it as is.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out. The homemade chalk paint worked like a charm and was so cheap. My favourite part was the waxing - it was quick and it gave the perfect sheen.

I am a lemons to lemonaid kinda girl too!So many times I have to look for an alternative when I just cannot find supplies or the cost is just total insanity here. Paint/art supplies is also a real issue here, the prices are much like the fabric, way out of wack and that just takes the fun right out of it all... and thank you for the email... currently obsessing over at Etsy! No... really I am. :)XOX Tracie

Lisa!!! How ingenious are you?!! Your table looks amazing!! I love the colour and the baskets underneath are gorgeous! I just love that you came up with a solution when you couldn't find what you were after!! The result is beautiful! Happy weekend to you ~ x

The table looks great...and I always say...'where there's a will there's a way'...well done on overcoming the obstacles that diy challenged Dubai has to offer! Robxp.s. tell your man not to stand still too long....my hubby used to say if he stood still long enough I'd probably paint him white!!

Lisa I was so excited to read your post on chalk paint-I am a decorative painter living in Dubai and have recently received requests from clients for furniture painted with chalk paint, so I was trying to get some from the US or the UK.....imagine my surprise when I read your post and how well your piece turned out! I will be experimenting with this recipe next week for sure!Thanks for the information.....

You can officially tell that I am catching up on all my blog reading tonight! Work has been mental! Love love love how your console turned out. Did you get your materials shipped to you or bring them with you?M.

Finishes such as this can add character & so much softness to a piece. I have painted a lot of furniture in my long art career, some like this, others with 18th century designs or botanicals, hand painted onto the surface & even into the inside the drawer or doors. I very much enjoy reading your blog & all the posts!Patricia Oblackhttp://patriciaoblack.com

OMG... just came across your blog fellow Dubaite and Annie Sloan fan. Feel your pain, I brought some paint and wax over in my luggage!! Though loving your DIY version. Where did you get the plaster of paris?? You can get a good selection of wax in Ace Hardware.

It is gorgeous! I make my own chalk paint too, with a slightly different recipe. I love the distressing you did - and the beautiful knobs. I would love to find a piece like this to operate as a laptop desk... on the hunt:)Krista

Hi, also in Dubai! Just wondering if you got the Plaster of Paris in Ace? There is a brand of clear furniture wax you can get in Ace, it's from England and comes in a big tin - can't remember the name. Alternatively you can use Kiwi Neutral shoe polish, the one in the tin not the bottle, available in any supermarket. You can also use Saddle Soap from horse riding equipment shops, it's used for polishing saddles etc but check the colour as some brands are clear and others a caramel colour.

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about me

I'm a former magazine art director with a guy whose work has moved us to Ireland, Dubai and now back to Canada. I love painting, designing handbags, decorating, DIY, travelling and all things pretty. This blog is where I catalog everything that gives me inspiration....and I give you a peek into my work and my life.